sports

Andy Wirth is the CEO and President of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings. He holds a Bachelor of Science that he received after graduating from the Colorado State University. He has decades of experience working in all different roles in tourism and the wilderness. Wirth has also worked his way from the bottom up. He first served as a firefighter and national parks ranger in New Mexico and Colorado. He then became an intern at Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation. He worked for Steamboat for more than 20 years in all different marketing type positions. Due to all of this experience, Wirth was asked to be the Chief Executive Officer of Squaw Valley.

Andy Wirth is also very involved in philanthropy and in his local community. He has won several awards for his hard work, including the Chairman’s Outstanding Service Award, the Steamboat Springs Business Leader of the Year Award and he was listed as a Top 25 Minds in Hospitality and Travel Sales and Marketing. He has also been given several other honors like being asked to speak at the graduation ceremony of his alma mater or having a place on the board of several highly esteemed organizations and associations.

For the past 4 years, Wirth has been fighting a move to incorporate Olympic Valley, where Squaw Valley Ski Resort sits. He believes that incorporation will only hurt both the individual residents of the town but also the businesses in the town. The main reason is an significant increase to taxes. A secondary reason is that the services that the residents have come to know and appreciate, will cease. These services include snow plowing and road maintenance. Another secondary concern is that it will no longer be a member of the north shore communities, who have historically worked together to deal with regional issues. The Reno Gazette-Journal covered the issue in a recent article.

The other side of the argument, by the parties in Olympic Valley who would like to incorporate say that they want a town council so that the residents of the town will make the major decisions. At the current moment, the decision in the town are made by the Placer County Board of Supervisors. Most of the board members live in the suburbs in Sacramento. However, after four years, the Local Agency Formation Commission denied the town the right to incorporate because they said it was not financially viable. After this took place, the supporters of incorporation withdrew. The article closed by saying that the combination of this issue and the drought that has struck the Lake Tahoe area have created division within the town.

Andy Wirth who plays a big part of this story. Is the current acting CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings. He manages the Squaw Valley Ski Resort which is based in the Olympic Valley in Northern Tahoe. Known for its picturesque scenery it is an incredible winter wonderland. Ideal for vacation seekers from around the world who want to experience some of the finest snow activities available. Andy Wirth’s passion has been to provide the community he lives in the best opportunities possible and to spur on the local economy. Tough times are abundant in our daily lives but few conquer the toughest of times, Andy Wirth has seen the toughest of times as he was recently involved in a sky diving accident which almost severed his arm. Suffering from extreme blood loss, which almost left him dead he weathered the storm and his thankfully on the mend. Thank you to many talented doctors and occupational therapist’s as well as family and friends. Some of these friends are worth mentioning and these were a group of Navy Seals which were stationed in the Olympic Valley the time of his accident.

The friendships he had in this group of people saw him conquer this tough time and through their spirits, narration and willingness to fight he managed to gain a full recovery. This experience has left Andy Wirth with the ambition to create awareness for members of the Navy Seals and their families who have to endure extreme hardships at times. Raising money and creating awareness for the Navy Seal Foundation through events like the Lake Tahoe Iron Man he has done just that. Not only do these people sacrifice their lives for our country but they also inspire us as a community.

The recent article by the Reno Gazette Journal which can be found here. makes mention of the recent troubled times the Olympic Valley community has had to endure. No adequate snow fall and the looming battle of incorporation has left business’s in distress. Andy Wirth believes that times are a changing as both bad weather and the battle will come to and end. Incorporation was halted as both sides spent large amounts of money battling it out. Those pro incorporation believe that Andy Wirth had his own agenda’s as rumours were heard of upcoming developments in the commercial and residential sectors as well as a gondola service. This service is to connect Squaw Valley and the Alpine Meadows side. This has been something snow boarders and skiers have dreamt of for decades. The incorporation battle is over and Andy believes wounds will heal and the community can work together.

For the past few years, the communities and businesses North of Lake Tahoe have suffered the brunt of both nature and what Andy Wirth terms as divisive political activism. It all started with an epic drought that swept through the land bringing with it devastating effects on the small businesses and winter resorts that rely on them. These include the Squaw Valley resort and some of the most popular winter sports terrains in North America.
In an article published by Reno-Gazette Journal, the situation was further aggravated by the incorporation suit brought against the Olympic Valley communities. This case lasted four long years pitting the incorporation backers led by Fred Ilfield against the Olympic Valley communities. The communities and their interests were represented by the Squaw-Alpine resort CEO, Andy Wirth, who saw the incorporation move as a threat to the business and civic climate in the valley.
Wirth described the incorporation as a long-term threat to the survival of the valley communities and businesses therein. He noted that such incorporation would serve to increase taxes on the valley businesses making it difficult to open up a business or a operate one in Tahoe. According to Wirth, this would also lead to a decrease on the services that people depend on for survival such as road maintenance and snow plowing.
It, therefore, came as a relief to the Olympic Valley residents when the incorporation sympathizers decided to withdraw their case. It also served double relief to the Valley businesses as the winter season storms and colds came in earlier than anticipated and thus the opening of the various resorts across Tahoe including Wirth’s Squaw-valley resort. Wirth also mentioned that case was quite divisive and called on the Tahoe Valley residents to see the dropping of the case as a chance for healing.
About Andy Wirth
Andy began his career in as an intern with the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation in 1986. For over 20 years, Andy has been working with the company in its marketing department in various roles until 2006 when the company was purchased by Intrawest. This saw Andy elevated to the position of the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of sales. In 2010, he joined Squaw Valley Ski Resort as CEO where he serves up to date.

Skiing is a type of transport, competitive winter sport as well as a recreational activity. The participant use skis to aid them in gliding on snow. International Olympic Committee as well as the International Ski Federation recognize most types of the competitive skiing events.

The snow is approaching fast. For most people who are winter enthusiasts this is a time to get the boards and ski ready. Majority of the ski bums are eagerly waiting to go up the slopes to get their initial turns of the year. Most a times, these individuals fail to realize that most of their muscle groups had been rarely put into use. This could lead to potential injuries leading to a shorter season. Skiing is a sport that is highly active and for one to be able to make most of it, he will need to invest some time into preparing for the season.

From a stand point on injury prevention, any person that is preparing for whichever sport need to be well screened and assessed by a strength coach or a physiotherapist before engaging in any activity. The information that will be gathered will aid in guiding your strength programs while exposing any current hindrance and mechanical dysfunctions that one may have. With this, a foundation of good strength and a conditioning program are established. It is important to make a periodical reassessment in order to ensure that the program is effective and the imbalances do not occur during the skiing activity.

Building a stronger base based on aerobic fitness is very important when starting a highly intensive sport like skiing. Through this, one is able to stay longer on the hills while reducing the chances of injury that may come about due to fatigue. Skiing is also an aerobic activity and this means that it will require short, intense energy bursts that will be interspersed with some rest periods.

Andy Wirth works in the hotel industry. Currently, he serves as the president and CEO of the Squaw Valley Ski Holdings. Wirth brings into the company an experience of over 25 years making this company to rank as a top winter tourist destination all over the world.

Andrew Wirth was born in West Germany. He dived into the industry fully once he attended the Colorado State University. He later furthered his education in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. At this period, he acquired relevant experience that have enabled him to run the company efficiently.

In college lacrosse it is rare for a defensive player to receive Epoch/LM Player of the Week recognition, but when Notre Dame defender Matt Landis silenced Lyle Thompson he became the first defensive player to receive the award this season. The Notre Dame Junior had a double reason to celebrate when he was named to the USILA all-American first team for the season, LAX Magazine reports.

Landis has been a regular in the Notre Dame defense since his sophomore season and has this year seen his play rewarded with a breakout season that has seen him feature in every game through the NCAA tournament quarter-finals. The 14 games played by Landis this season have resulted in 12 forced turnovers and he has been nominated for a number of awards as the season has worn on. Notre Dame saw three players join Landis in the All-American first team to lead the nation with the number of players rewarded. The Fighting Irish remain the number one seed in the tournament and based their latest victory over Albany on a strong defense led by Matt Landis.

Player of the week awards are normally given to players who feature in the scoring and assist charts, but by nullifying the threat of fellow All-American Lyle Thompson the Notre Dame standout became the EPoch/LM player of the week. Following the quarter-final victory Landis was quick to praise his teammates and stated those who had mimicked the play of Thompson in practice deserved their share of the credit for the 14-10 victory.

There are not a lot of kids around that can remember dual sport players like Bo Jackson or even “Prime Time” Deon Sanders. Both of these remarkable athletes excelled at the highest levels of two sports namely Baseball and Football. While Sanders was a much better football player than baseball he still played a number of productive seasons in the Major Leagues. As for Jackson, he is the only player in history to have played in both the NFL Pro-Bowl and MLB All-Star Games. His teams were not even in the same city or state, as he played Baseball for the Kansas City Royals and football as the running back of the Oakland (then Los Angeles) Raiders. If it weren’t for injury, there is no telling how long his dual career could have continued.

In modern times, we often see great dual players in college but not at the professional level. The only player to even have rumors about attempting to play both sports is Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Before being drafted by the Seahawks and leading them to three consecutive NFC Championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and a Championship in 2013, Wilson was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2011. Fans like Sam Tabar know that, although he has never attended anything more than the team’s spring training as a token inspirational figure in the locker room, it does not mean he has totally ruled out playing both sports again.

Football players get injured all the time, and some of those injuries can be worse than others. Some of the injuries that are sustained by football players can lead to long term health problems, something that no one wants to deal with or face.

Chris Borland, a linebacker for the 49ers has decided to call it quits at the young age of 24. Why? This man is concerned that the fun of football might not be worth the risk that playing puts on him and his body. This man doesn’t want to face the head trauma that can come from an injury. This man wants to quit before he is faced with an injury that is hard to move on from.

Borland states that he has researched what can happen from playing football, and he is quitting now in order to stay healthy and safe stated brucekaratz.com. This man doesn’t want to risk injury from a sport that can be so unsafe. Football is fun, but it can also be dangerous, and every football player puts himself at risk.

It is a dangerous and scary time to be an NFL veteran that has not lived up to their potential over the past few seasons. The reason behind all of this worry is the free agency market has just opened. Then coupling that with the most recent NFL combine and teams will be looking to improve their teams with younger, cheaper talent that promises to make their club a contender for years into the future. So it should come as no surprise when the New York Giants release Mathias Kiwanuka or the Arizona Cardinals release Ted Ginn Jr in order to make room for younger talent and finally give up on players that have never really produced the numbers that their cap space had paid them for. Fans like Haidar Barbouti agree that one bright example would be the wide receiver from West Virginia Kevin White who stood out to all the teams and may become the number one receiver drafted this year.

What will come next is the teams will review their notes from the NFL combine, make predictions as to who the teams ahead of them will take in the draft and figure out their best prospects at each of the positions they need. Then the teams will evaluate who is out in the free agency market that could be acquired for a decent hit to the salary cap to provide veteran leadership in certain positions. Hopefully at the start of mini-camps they will have a good idea of where their team will be headed for the 2015 season.

While most people consider the biggest need for the Chicago Bears to be finding a new quarterback, in reality they need a defense much worse than trying to get past the ghosts of Soldier Field. Honestly, Jay Cutler is not a great QB and probably will never be in the Hall of Fame. But he can still lead this team to victory if it was not all left on his shoulders. He is what Bill Parcels would call a bus driver; he can take directions and get the bus where it needs to go. He is not the engine, nor the break, and certainly not the tow truck, he is just a driver. It will take the other 52 players on the team to push and pull that bus to victory.

The problem is for John Fox that he is facing a similar situation he just left in Denver and that is a defense that needs an overhaul from lineman to secondary. As superfans like Jaime Garcia Dias are aware of, the Bears have lacked direction now that Urlacher is retired. Check out more on Dias on his Linkedin page. With the 7th overall pick in this year’s draft, the will need to get a great pass rusher. This will help the secondary which is where they should spend their second and third round picks. However, should the team move into another direction they will probably look to get some offensive line support to their running game and to protect whoever is driving the bus next season.

The Atlanta Hawks have had a truly amazing season, as they have dominated the Eastern Conference and sit atop the East with an astonishing eight game lead over the Toronto Raptors, who are sitting in the second spot. The Hawks just had a nineteen game winning streak snapped and there was a lot of speculation as to how the Hawks would come back after snapping such an amazing winning streak, but they bounced back on Wednesday night when they met the Washington Wizards in Atlanta. The hawks did what they always do and beat up the Wizards consistently throughout the game, winning by nine points. It appeared as if there was no team in the East that could match up with the Hawks, but the Cavaliers have rocketed out of the midpoint of the season and are currently on an eleven game winning streak of their own. They have turned things around to such a degree that a lot of sportscasters and writers alike are stating that the Cavaliers would be favored in a seven game series in the playoffs, if they do happen to meet. Fans at Slow Ventures know that it is hard to argue against the basketball that LeBron James and the Cavaliers have brought in the last several weeks, especially with the amazing play by Kyrie Irving, who dropped fifty-five in a game last week. More is available on Seedtable.com. The Hawks are going to keep on rolling, but it is questionable what will happen in the playoffs now.